This invention relates to a process and system for designing a tooling assembly such as a mold or die, and specifically to a tooling assembly design process and system accommodating and validating interrelationships between components.
Molds and dies are complex mechanisms for forming uniquely shaped parts in a plastic molding, die casting or metal stamping process. Each mold or die is unique to the specific part fabricated and therefore requires a unique design. A conventional design begins with the desired shape of the finished part and proceeds with the design of a cavity to properly form the part. The design progresses by designing runner systems to carry material to the mold cavity, cooling systems to control cooling of the part after injection of molten material in addition to support, opening and part ejection mechanisms including any inserts, or retractable coring required for a specific part.
Typically, this entire process is performed by a designer working with computer-aided design and manufacturing software. Conventional mold design software and methods include the use of predefined components and/or databases to create components and then provide tools for manipulating those components. Such software creates a tooling assembly design with predefined parts combined by the designer working at a computer workstation. The use of predefined parts does not account for interrelationship between parts of the mold. As appreciated, each part in the mold is related to every other part in the mold and therefore those interrelationships must be recognized and accommodated. Molds are complex mechanisms and comparing and managing relationships among parts increases design time, cost and the risk of error.
Accordingly, it is desirable to develop a process of designing a tooling assembly that validates interrelationships among each part of the mold and provides a complete and accurate design in view of those interrelationships.